Robert Paul is a largely forgotten name today, but he was a major pioneer of British cinema, and was quick to grasp the commercial potential of cinema in ways that better known pioneers such as William Friese-Greene were not. He was more of a mechanic than a filmmaker making, with Birt Acres, his own camera on which to shoot films in 1895, and also Britain's first projector, the Animatograph, with which to screen them in 1896. Early in the 20th century he had a custom-made studio built in Muswell Hill.
This film was shot in November 1896. It's a very short piece showing women cycling through Hyde Park. Women cyclists were apparently considering very daring back then, and were therefore often the subject of early filmmakers.
This film was shot in November 1896. It's a very short piece showing women cycling through Hyde Park. Women cyclists were apparently considering very daring back then, and were therefore often the subject of early filmmakers.